


habits of my heart

by soupsaga



Category: NCIS: New Orleans
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - High School, Canon Lesbian Character, F/F, Femslash, Teachers AU, wlw relationship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-29
Updated: 2018-07-30
Packaged: 2019-05-15 14:10:39
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,663
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14792000
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/soupsaga/pseuds/soupsaga
Summary: the team members are all teachers in a high school. tammy is a new teacher and meets eva on her first day working at the school.





	1. one

**Author's Note:**

> this was a weird au i thought of but wanted to write, so here it is. i don't have an upload schedule planned yet, but i hope to have one planned by the time i upload the next chapter.

Tammy wandered the halls aimlessly, intent on learning her way around the school before the students arrived the next week. The school was rather large, but she would be spending the majority of her time in the science wing so she found it more important to learn her way around that general area first. After she was comfortable with her understanding of the layout of the science department, Tammy made her way out of the wing, traveling to the next area. She looked up at the sign above the entrance, almost cringing when she read _ENGLISH_. As someone who leaned heavily toward the science and math side of schooling, she found English classes dreadful. As a student, she had never had an English teacher she could get along with and all of her classes had required reading that was always outside of her interests. She wanted to read Virginia Woolf or Sylvia Plath but was always stuck reading various Shakespeare plays.

A flash of red hair at the end of the hallway caught Tammy’s attention. She had been here for two hours and the only other people she had seen were in the front office. She had started to believe there weren’t any other teachers in the school. Deciding to play it safe, Tammy continued her path, taking a glance at every name plate above the classroom doors. She wanted to learn as many names as possible, she had always been one to remember names of her coworkers. She continued this action as she walked down the end of the hallway, slowing down as she neared the classroom she had seen the other woman enter. She looked above the door and saw _AZAROVA_ , noting the woman’s last name. Tammy walked through the propped door and knocked as she did so in order to get the woman’s attention.

The knock seemed to pull the woman’s attention away from whatever it was that she was doing. She looked up at Tammy with a smile and set her pen down before standing up and making her way towards the woman that entered her classroom. While the woman walked towards her, Tammy took the moment to check her out. She noted the way the woman’s arms looked in the tank top she was wearing, this woman was absolutely gorgeous. Tammy pushed away her thoughts when she remembered that the woman was a coworker, she shouldn’t be checking her out.

“Hi,” the redhead said with her hand extended. “I’m Eva Azarova. You must be the new teacher.”

Tammy shook the woman’s hand with a smile and nodded. “Tammy Gregorio. I’ll be teaching in the science wing, biology. I was just wondering around the school and trying to learn my way around.”

The woman, Eva, watched Tammy with eyes full of wonder. Tammy couldn’t help but stare into the bright blue eyes in front of her, they were the most beautiful shade she had seen. She tore her eyes away when the woman began to speak again.

“Have you met any of the other teachers? There are a few around here somewhere, we were going to go get lunch in a bit. Would you like to join us?” Eva beamed at the woman and leaned against her desk, toying with the pen in her hands.

Tammy watched Eva’s hands for a moment while she contemplated the offer. She lifted her eyes and shook her head. “I shouldn’t intrude.”

Eva gave a small laugh and scoffed. “You’re coming to lunch with us. I’ll introduce you to them now, if you’d like. They won’t bite, unless you’re into that sort of thing.”

Tammy laughed at Eva’s joke and nodded. “I’d like that very much,” she said with a permanent smile on her face. Eva was the first teacher Tammy had met at the school and she hoped the rest were as friendly as she was. Tammy was worried about making friends at her new job, but after meeting Eva, those worries washed away. Eva seemed like a genuine woman, for which Tammy was grateful.

Eva logged out of her computer and picked up her purse before turning to Tammy. She grabbed her lanyard and led Tammy out of the classroom, making sure she turned the lights off as she left.

While the two made their way to meet the other teachers in the history wing, Eva decided to get to know Tammy better. She turned her head toward the woman and smiled at her as she tried to think of a question to ask to start the conversation.

“So, science, huh?”

Tammy nodded and laughed as Eva scrunched her nose. “I’ve always loved it, it always amazed me. I take it you’re not big on science?” Tammy asked with a laugh. 

“Nope,” she replied, popping the ‘p’ at the end. “I’ve always been an English girl. I was good at science in school, but I couldn’t imagine myself going anywhere with it past my own schooling. You’ll have to turn to Sebastian if you want to talk about anything science related. Sonja teaches history and Chris is a P.E. coach. We are headed to Sonja’s room now, it’s where we decided to meet before heading out to lunch. We can meet everyone and then head back to your room so you can get your stuff. You can ride with me, I think Sonja might ride with us as well.”

Tammy watched Eva as she spoke, taking another opportunity to take in her overall appearance. The woman was beautiful, Tammy couldn’t deny that. She tried to make her staring less obvious, but she couldn’t help it. She was intrigued by Eva, she wanted to be friends with the woman.

“I’m rambling again, I’m sorry,” Eva mumbled as she cheeks flushed. 

Tammy shook her head, “It’s alright. It’s informative, and cute.”

Eva ran a hand through her hair and bit her lip. “I do it a lot when I’m nervous. Let’s talk about you. Are you from New Orleans?”

“I was born and raised in New York.” Tammy explained. “I moved down here forever ago but I left when I got divorced. I’ve wanted to come back for years but I couldn’t bring myself to. Pride’s been trying to get me to come back for years, always offering me a job and I finally said yes.”

“How long were you married?” Eva asked quietly, her curiosity getting the better of her. She didn’t want to get too personal to make Tammy uncomfortable, but she was interested in learning about the other woman. It had been far too long since she met someone that was open and willing to speak to her.

“Far too long. I was a kid when I met him, I didn’t know who I was. I was trying to get away and he took care of me. I finally filed for divorce about ten years ago. I had a realization of sorts and I knew it was for the best. I actually moved to DC after that. I met someone that helped me find myself but I threw that away because I wanted to focus on my career. Now, however, I am ready for whatever life throws at me, no more running.” Tammy looked over at Eva as they stopped in front of a classroom. “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t realize I had been talking for so long. You probably didn’t care about any of that.”

Eva shook her head and smiled reassuringly at Tammy, “I don’t mind. I enjoy learning about people. How else would we understand their perspectives?” She didn’t give Tammy a chance to reply before she grabbed her hand and pulled her into the classroom.

Tammy’s heart fluttered at the gesture, even after all her years she still grew flustered when an attractive woman held her hand. She shook the thought from her mind, she knew she shouldn’t think of her coworker like that, it was inappropriate.

Pulling her head out of her thoughts, Tammy looked over at the group of teachers that were sitting on top of the students’ desks. She smiled at the odd behavior and followed Eva’s lead towards them.

“This is Tammy, she’s the new bio teacher,” Eva introduced Tammy to the group. She turned her attention to the man in glasses. “She has the classroom that’s connected to yours, Sebastian.”

The man Eva had been talking to directly gave Tammy a wave. “Sebastian Lund. I teach chemistry honors.”

The rest of the group followed Sebastian’s fashion of introduction.

“Sonja Percy, American History.”

“Patton Plame, Web Design.”

“Christopher LaSalle, weightlifting coach and very single.”

The entire room rolled their eyes at Chris’ attempt at flirting, including Tammy. She let out a small laugh and shook her head. “I don’t think you’ll ever have a chance with me. I’m gay.” After her confession, she looked around the room to assess the damage she had caused. She almost sighed in relief when she realized nobody in the room minded. She was grateful for this, she had worked in plenty of places in which she was asked to hide her sexuality.

“Damn,” Sonja laughed, punching Chris in the shoulder. “You did it again.”

“Again?” Tammy raised an eyebrow.

Eva turned to Tammy and smiled, “He’s hit on several gay women. Including me, but unlike the others, he had some chance with me. I lean both ways. Mostly towards women, though.”

Tammy smiled at Eva and nodded slightly as if she was silently acknowledging the woman’s sexuality. She was glad to have someone else like her in the school, it wasn’t often that she met someone who was openly gay — much less often in her own workplace.

“Tammy’s going to come to lunch with us. Are Loretta and Pride still joining us?” Eva looked over at Sonja, who was in charge of planning their lunch.

When Sonja nodded, Tammy felt a weight being lifted from her shoulders. If she felt out of place at all during lunch, she knew Pride would do his best to make her feel included. She was still worried about the lunch, but she was relieved to know she would have someone on her side. She was sure Eva would fall into conversation with her friends, she wouldn’t blame her. Tammy could talk to Pride for a while and catch up on their lives if she was left alone at the table.

“So. Tammy, where are you from?” Sonja asked, pulling Tammy’s attention from her worrisome thoughts.

“New York,” Tammy smiled. “I used to live down here a while ago, though. It’s nice to be back, I’ve always loved this city.”

The group engaged in light conversation, each person taking turns to ask Tammy various questions about her life. By the end of the conversation, Tammy had felt much more comfortable with the other teachers. She was glad that Eva had introduced her to the other group as she now had people she could talk to if she ever needed anything.

“Alright, is everyone ready to go?” Sonja asked, glancing between the teachers.

When everyone began to nod, Tammy turned to Eva, “I’m going to head down to my classroom to get my purse. I’ll meet you at the front of the school?”

Eva nodded and grinned at Tammy. “I’ll wait for you.”

When Tammy left the classroom, Sonja immediately turned her attention to Eva. “She’s cute,” she commented with a smirk.

Eva nodded absentmindedly, watching Tammy walk down the hallway. As soon as she saw the woman exit the wing, she turned back to the group. “She’s gorgeous.”

“You should ask her out,” Chris suggested.

Shaking her head, Eva picked up her keys and turned to leave. “I just met her and we work at the same school, it’s not a wise decision. And besides, she doesn’t even like English. We talked about it on the way here.”

“Excuses, excuses,” Sonja chirped, laughing as Eva left the room. “Let’s go, boys.” She gestured around the room and collect her things, preparing to leave for lunch.


	2. two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow i am so sorry that i've basically abandoned this story. i have the entire plot planned out, so hopefully you'll be seeing more chapters of this in the future.

Lunch had been rather uneventful for the first half. It was mostly filled with the group asking Tammy more questions to get to know her and Tammy asking other questions in return. She found herself being very open with this new group of people. It wasn’t until after the group had received their meals that things got interesting. Tammy ate in silence as she watched the rest of the group engage in conversation, but she was dragged into the conversation as Sonja directed a question at her.

“So, Tammy, do you have a girlfriend?” Sonja question, sparing a glance toward Eva.

Eva froze mid-chew, knowing where Sonja was going with this line of questioning. She held her breath as she waited for Tammy to answer so she could decide whether to get Sonja back or not.

Tammy, however, was unfazed by the questioning. She was used to people asking her if she had a girlfriend when they found out she was gay, talking to Sonja about it wasn’t any different. “No,” she shook her head at Sonja. “I haven’t had a serious girlfriend for a few years now. I’ve been focusing on my work rather than relationships.”

Sonja gave a pointed look at Eva before turning her attention back to Tammy, this had been just the answer she had hoped for. Sonja smirked, “Well if you ever want a night out to search for someone, I love going out.”

Smiling, Tammy nodded at Sonja. “I’ll keep that in mind. We’ll see if you’re able to keep up with me, Percy,” she said with a wink.

Eva choked on her drink at Tammy’s response. She tried to clear her throat as she felt all of the eyes at the table on her. “Sorry,” she squeaked, hiding her expression from Tammy. She had been surprised by Tammy’s response as well as slightly jealous that the words were directed at Sonja and not herself.

“Eva, are you seeing anybody?” Sonja now directed at Eva. She knew Eva could see the obvious intentions of her line of questioning and she wanted to plant ideas in her mind as well as Tammy’s.

She shook her head slowly. “No, nobody since Justin. So not in three months.” Eva glanced over at Pride, who had been deep in conversation with Loretta. She was glad he wasn’t listening to this conversation because Eva wasn’t comfortable having it with her boss. Sure, he did hang out with their group more than any of the other teachers and he was more like a father figure than a boss at times, but there was something odd about having her boss hearing about her personal life.

Tammy raised an eyebrow at the mention of Eva’s personal life. Being the new friend in the group, she wasn’t privy to all of the happenings. She had no idea the extent of Eva’s relationship with this Justin guy and she wanted to be in on the information.

Eva turned toward Tammy in order to fill her in when she saw the look on the brunette’s face, “I was dating this guy, Justin, for seven months. Three months ago he had to move to New York for work so we decided to end things. Neither of us really liked the idea of long distance.”

“I’m sorry, I know that must have been a hard decision to make,” Tammy said softly, covering Eva’s hand with her own. She let it sit for a few moments before pulling it back, hoping it didn’t make Eva uncomfortable.

Sonja’s eyes widened as she noticed Tammy’s movements but quickly recovered so neither Tammy nor Eva knew she had seen. She simply smiled at both women and went back to eating her meal. Sonja had some planning to do and she needed to give it her undivided attention.

 

————

 

On the drive back to the school, Eva stayed silent as to not disturb Tammy, who seemed to be deep in thought. When she reached a red light, Eva took the moment to look over at the brunette beside her. She bit her lip as her eyes scanned Tammy’s face, the woman was gorgeous — Eva couldn’t deny it. She smiled at the way Tammy’s nose scrunched up at a person in the neighboring car, she found Tammy’s facial expression absolutely adorable.

Eva quickly turned her head back to the road. She reminded herself that Tammy was a co-worker, she shouldn’t have been looking at her the way she had. She immediately felt guilty, she had been checking out someone she was going to be working with. Eva gripped the steering wheel until her knuckles turned white and forced herself to keep her eyes off of Tammy.

This hadn’t lasted long, however, as Tammy soon spoke up.

“So, tell me about yourself, Eva. Any family in the area?”

Eva stole a quick glance at Tammy and nodded. “My brother Alexander. He’s in college now. I pretty much raised him after our parents died. What about you, does your family still live in New York?”

“Uh,” Tammy thought about how to respond to Eva’s question. She wasn’t sure exactly how much of her past she was comfortable sharing with the woman beside her. “Yeah, my mom does. My dad died when I was in college.”

“I’m sorry,” Eva said softly.

Shaking her head, Tammy stared back out the window. “We weren’t close. My parents were never really okay with me being gay.”

Eva frowned. “I never got the chance to tell mine,” she mused. “I don’t know if they would have approved of my sexuality, we never discussed any topics related to it. Part of me hopes they would have loved me regardless of my preference, but I also believe they could have easily been the opposite.”

Tammy laid her hand over Eva’s that had been settled on the center console and gently rubbed the back of it with her thumb. She knew the move was risky, but they had been having a serious conversation and she knew Eva needed some comfort. When Tammy realized Eva hadn’t tried to pull away and seemed to relax, she decided to leave her hand in its position for the remainder of the drive.

Deciding to move on from the serious tones in their previous conversations, both women talked about lighter subjects. Eva spoke about her younger brother while Tammy described her older brother, the women bonding over the presence of male siblings in their lives. Although Eva was the older sister while Tammy was the younger sister, the two had similar experiences when growing up with a brother.

The car was filled with laughter and an air free of tension for the remainder of the car ride. Tammy’s hand remained on top of Eva’s and the two had settled in a comfortable banter, both forgetting the contact their hands had.

When Eva pulled into the school parking lot, both women exited the car. Eva waited on the driver’s side for Tammy to get out and walk around to her, wanting to walk back into the school with the other woman. They had formed a bond in the car unlike any other Eva had seen, she found herself wanting to spend more time with Tammy. This worried her, she was unsure if she was developing a crush on the woman or a meaningful friendship and the former scared her. She didn’t want to get involved with someone that taught at the same school as her, she knew the fallout that could occur if anything were to happen.

The two women had walked side by side to the science wing, where Tammy held the door open for Eva to walk through. When Eva had walked through the door, she felt Tammy’s eyes on her and she would be lying if she said she wasn’t sure how she felt about it. The feeling of Tammy’s eyes scanning her body excited her, it made her wonder if the brunette had been feeling the same things she had.

Tammy stopped in front of her classroom door, mentally noting that Sebastian’s lights were on in his classroom and she should go and talk to him later in the day.

“This is me,” Tammy said with a small laugh. She shoved her hands in her pockets and rocked back on her heels.

Eva’s eyes moved to the top of the door where she saw _GREGORIO_ on the nameplate above the door frame. “So it seems,” she nodded.

The two stood in silence, both women unsure of what to say next. Unbeknownst to either woman, Sebastian had been watching them through the window on his door. He had grown interested in their relationship over the course of lunch as they had seemed completely comfortable with each other despite only meeting earlier in the day.

Tammy was finally the one to speak up. “I had a lot of fun today. Thank you for letting me crash your lunch.”

“Thank you for agreeing to crash my lunch,” Eva beamed. “It was great to have you in the car with me, too. I can’t believe Sonja ditched us to ride with the guys.” Eva shook her head before looking back at Tammy. “We should do this again sometime.”

“We should,” Tammy nodded. She pulled out her keys and watched as Eva walked back down the hallway, waiting to go into her room until the redhead’s frame disappeared from her view. When Eva had finally disappeared from the hallway, Tammy unlocked her door and walked into the classroom she would be calling home for the upcoming year.

Tammy tossed her keys on her desk and dropped to her chair, tossing her purse on the desk beside her keys. “Fuck,” she breathed, realizing she had agreed to hang out with the redhead more. Spending more time with the woman alone in her car did nothing to extinguish the flames she felt, Tammy was extremely attracted to Eva.


End file.
